Martha Minow Talks About Forgiveness

"What has to be understood about forgiveness is that it is a gift to be given by the one who was wronged. It can't be compelled. If it is, it's not forgiveness. Forgiveness means the renunciation of resentment. It means the welcoming of the violator into the circle of humanity. It means reconnection, affirmation of the possibility of reconciliation, if not reconciliation itself. By the way, forgiveness is not necessarily incompatible with punishment. You can be happily in favor of punishing the wrongdoer and forgive the wrongdoer because in so doing you say, ‘I'm welcoming this person into the circle of humanity which is bound by rules which have consequences....'

"The problem is, if forgiveness is done institutionally or collectively by a government, for example, through forms like amnesty or pardons, it's not forgiveness. That in exemption from punishment it creates preemption of punishment but that is an agent, an officer of the government acting in the name of the victims-that's not forgiveness. The power to forgive has to include the choice not to forgive otherwise, again, it's not forgiveness."